Rio police ID suspect in attack on Netflix gay Jesus filmmakers

The comedy group behind the gay Jesus Netflix film "The First Temptation of Christ" was the target of a Christmas Eve fire bomb attack in Brazil.

Dec. 31, 2019, 4:45 PM UTC

By The Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO — Police in Rio de Janeiro have identified one of the people responsible for a gasoline bomb attack targeting satirists behind a Christmas program on Netflix that some critics have described as blasphemous.

Officers carried out a search warrant Tuesday morning and found money, a fake firearm, ammunition, a “political-philosophical” shirt and computers, police said in a written statement. Police also had a warrant for the suspect's arrest, but he remains at large.

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Police did not immediately release other details, including the suspect's name, but planned a news conference Tuesday morning.

The Christmas Eve attack on an empty video production house didn't injure anyone but came as a shock even in a country accustomed to violence. A video circulating days later on social media showed three men claiming responsibility for the attack, and said they had targeted Brazilian comedy group Porta dos Fundos for its Portuguese-language program.

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The comedy group’s short film, "The First Temptation of Christ," depicts Jesus returning home on his 30th birthday and insinuates he is gay. Religious groups bristled at the depiction. Creators of the film have defended it as legitimate freedom of expression.

At least four people were involved in the attack, police said previously.